Category: Sports

With Christmas arriving on Saturday it’s time to review who’s been naughty and nice as we hand our annual presents for folks in sports during 2021.   

Chip Kelly: A top 10 recruiting class to get him over the hump in Year 4 on the job because the big seat is going to get hotter at UCLA in the year ahead if he doesn’t.   

Tiger Woods: A return to good health after the horrific car accident to let him pursue what he wants to in golf, as it would be sad to see one of the greatest careers in golf end in such a terrible way.   

Chris Sale: Ditto for you, lefty, as it would be nice to see you regain form and pitch injury-free for the first time since spring of 2018.

Steph Curry: A little perspective. As those water works after you did it show, you and many others in basketball way, way, way over-value the three-point shot. It’s a nice career record you set and I do marvel at your incredible range and accuracy, but give me a break, buddy; in the end it’s just a long shot, not like passing Bill Russell’s record 11 NBA titles.

Ben Simmons: A lump of coal and a DVD of the game where fans in Philly booed Santa Claus on Christmas Day to show him it’s a tough place to play and he shouldn’t be such a crybaby. Of course it would help if he weren’t terrified to shoot in big moments.      

Mac Jones: A Super Bowl title in the very near future to stop the yapping of the haters out there who are doing it to fabricate a weakness of yours because starting the career in Brady-like fashion drives those who hate that Coach B pulls rabbits out of his hat more than anyone even crazier than they usually are.

Donald Parham: A swift and complete recovery for the L.A. Chargers tight end after his scary neck/head injury on Thursday Night Football last week. 

Brandon Staley: A place to hide out in L.A. after blowing that just-mentioned TNF game for first place in the AFC West, a game his Chargers should have won vs. KC, by going for TD’s over the field goal three times inside the five-yard line on fourth downs when they were stopped twice and fumbled on the other one, when one FG would have prevented it from going into OT, where KC won it. Also a copy of the soon to be best seller It’s OK To Admit You’re Wrong When You Screw Up for him saying after the game he was “comfortable” with those decisions despite the disastrous results. Talk about delusional thinking for the holidays! 

Red Sox Nation: Two quality starters, two quality relievers (at least) and a return from whatever world Matt Barnes lived in during the second half of 2021 after being lights out in the first half.

Jackie Bradley Jr: That his return home to Fenway sparks a return to his hitting form of 2018 when he was ALCS MVP and hit a huge homer in the clinching game in the World Series that followed. Why? Because we like JBJR.   

Sox owner John Henry: The perspective to know there’s a fine line between not allowing yourself to be strangled/penalized by an overindulgent payroll and rebuilding the farm system and that you are a major market team financially and shouldn’t be cheaping out to save a few bucks.  

Chaim Bloom: The good sense to know the $20 million per for just three years Kyle Schwarber is looking for is exactly the kind of short-term deal he should be looking for. It’s a bargain, buddy, so as Kramer would say, Go!

USA Men’s Soccer: A nice showing (for once) in the upcoming World Cup this summer.

Danny Ainge: A good luck wish for the new job in Utah and a ceremony to raise 44 to the rafters, as two titles as a player and one as the GM over 20 years of service to the Celtics warrants that. 

MLB and the Players Association: Not that this has a chance of happening. But to have the common sense and wisdom to know that the best deals are the ones when both sides win. 

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds: Election to the Hall of Fame. Because while using ’roids was kinda sorta illegal, with a number of highly suspected users already in it’s murky to prove. Plus with the grand enabler Bud Selig breezing in, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Ditto for Mark McGwire and Andy Pettitte.

Urban Meyer: A new job where he’ll go back to being the BMOC on a college campus because after his catastrophic 13-game reign in Jacksonville when the trouble started less than a month into his tenure he’ll never work in the NFL again. Hard to screw something up as badly and quickly as he did this one. 

The Patriots Special Teams: A refresher course from the time when the other guys made the big mistakes on special teams, because after seeing three punts blocked punts in their first 14 games, they seem like the good old days now.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A framed print of Yogi Berra’s quote “It ain’t over till it’s over” to remind him to always play through the buzzer, as everyone in the joint thought OKC and New Orleans were headed to OT after SGA drained a 38-footer to tie it at 110 apiece with 1.8 seconds left. 

Devonte Graham: Nothing we can give the Pelican point guard could top what he got when Christmas came early last week when his desperation 70-foot heave after that dagger from Gilgeous-Alexander banked in at the buzzer to give New Orleans a stunning 113-110 win over OKC instead.  

To all of us, an end to the Covid nightmare so we can all get back to a normal life sometime in the year ahead. 

After a summer of big changes I waited to give my outlook for the Celtics until I’d seen them play for a while. They were a “wait and see” proposition for me, so I reserved judgment until 20 games had been played. And while they remain riddled with uncertainty, after their first 27 games I do have a better handle on their strengths and weaknesses and a sense of where they are headed by year’s end.

So here’s an assessment of who they are after returning home last Saturday morning at 13-14 after a dismal 1-4 trip to the left coast.

Biggest weaknesses: (1) Consistency. So far it’s been game to game whether they’re going to bring effort to deliver the A game or not. In Portland last Saturday, yes; vs. L.A. in the next one, no. (2) 3-point shooting. It’s not that they’re shooting 33.4 percent (24th in the NBA); it’s recognizing what is a good one and what isn’t. (3) Mental toughness. Their wins usually happen when the talent kicks in, but when it doesn’t there aren’t enough guys who tighten the screws to grind through bad times. (4) A true point guard. Dennis Schroder is the closest thing, so Earth to Ime: Start him until you trade for one. 

Jayson Tatum: I’ve been saying for two years now he’s their biggest strength and biggest weakness. That’s because he has No. 1 player talent, but it comes with the head of a No. 2 player. That means he’s more Kevin McHale, who never would have been as good as he became if Larry Bird’s competitive personality hadn’t been driving the bus. Said in wins and losses: Bird turned a 29-win team into 61-win team his rookie year, while they went from 57 to 42 when McHale was the star as Bird missed most of 1988-89. Tatum was a good fit with the Olympic team because it had strong leaders like Kevin Durant and that let him just play. The dilemma: Do you move him to get a best player who’s a stronger leader? Or since the talent is so extreme and getting better (he leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per too) find a stronger personality to pair with him? Or maybe fill the team with that type of guy to make the need not as extreme. Unless there’s the perfect deal out there that I can’t find, I’d do option 3.

Jaylen Brown: He’s been hurt most of the season, and mostly shot/played poorly when he did play. He also has not improved his handle in traffic, which is still weak. The silver lining is that it’s showed how they play without him as they contemplate changes. On the other hand, his 41-point game on opening night at MSG showed just how dynamic he can be.

Al Horford: He remains a versatile defender, but he’s mainly trade bait for a contender at the deadline.

Dennis Schroder: He has brought both the feisty attitude and the penetration they desperately need. Their best games have been when he has started at point guard, partly because it moves Marcus Smart off the ball, where he does much more damage without the responsibility of running the offense. 

Marcus Smart: Unless everyone else has fouled out, and I mean everyone, it would be Smart to keep Marcus away from running any offense. To do that, keep him and Schroder starting and bring Brown off the bench, which also gives real offensive juice to the second team.  

Rob Williams: Everyone loves the lob dunks he gets to above the box, even me. But I like his rebounding and shot-blocking shots better. However, he’s already missed seven of the first 27 with knee soreness and never played more than 59 games, so his durability is a major question mark.   

Romeo Langford: When he comes into a game the clueless expression on his face makes me think he has no idea what city he’s even in. But while he’s far from perfect, the FG percent is over 50 percent and he’s shooting over 40 percent from international waters, so there are signs he may be coming around. So play him more.

Grant Williams:He makes the all-clinic team because he always plays hard, rarely is in the wrong spot, takes charge and has worked hard to improve his 3-point shooting to a team-leading 43 percent. All deserve a pat on the back, so I’ve got nothing against him. The problem is he’s too short for his position, so he’s easy to shoot over and too slow to cover the smaller guys.

Other young guys: No one else has shown me anything, including Aaron Nesmith, an alleged 3-point shooter who can’t shoot 3’s (25.5 percent), and Payton Pritchard, who dribbles more than a 2-year-old at breakfast.   

Ime Udoka: He’s had some glaring game/player management mistakes that make you wonder. Not ready to pull the ripcord yet, but I’ve yet to see one thing that makes me think they made the right choice.

Projected finish: They’re, at best, a 42- or 43-win team that likely will be in the play-in round. But the Eastern Conference could have as many as 11 teams finishing .500 or above, so it’ll be close. Regardless, they won’t get by Round 2, unless Tatum has a totally dominant spring.

So what do you do? After blowing their chance in 2017 to move into the Top Four, they need to dig out. But after squandering a 10-deep roster and eight first-round draft picks over the next three years it won’t be easy. First they need to identify how they want to play and which players will remain to build around — a process that would be under way if I were the GM or owned the team. We’ll get to that after the holidays in advance of the February trade deadline.

For now, lower expectations and don’t bang your head on the coffee table too often during the bad games.

With December here and four games left to play, let’s take a look at where things stand for the Patriots and the rest of the NFL as they jockey for playoff position.   

After Monday Night’s, um, unique 14-10 win over the Bills in very windy Buffalo, the Patriots go into their bye week as the Top Seed in the AFC thanks to a best in the conference 9-4 record. Now they’ll sit by and wait for the outcomes of a bunch of games with implications for the AFC playoff picture this week that could help or hurt the Pats’ place in the scrum. They are Baltimore at Cleveland, SF at Cincy, LV at KC, and the biggie, Buffalo at Tampa Bay, that will have Patriot Nation hoping TB delivers one more solid for the Foxboro faithful with a win.     

Who’s hot: While not blowing anyone away like past seasons, it’s KC with five straight wins to regain control in the AFC West. Miami’s also won five straight, and while they’re just 6 and 7, they could be a problem for Pats if they’re still red hot when they meet in Miami in Week 17.

Who’s not: After losing on a failed two-point conversion on Sunday’s final play vs. Pittsburgh it’s the Ravens. Still have the AFC North lead, but after losing three of six amid three skin-of-their-teeth wins their seeming lock on top seed in the AFC is gone. Especially with five tough closing games ahead.

In my season preview I had Buffalo and TB in the SB. Now, since I’m still not convinced on Arizona, I’ll recalibrate to a KC-TB rematch. Though having said that, the Pats can beat anyone and I won’t be surprised if they get there.  

However, with the Rams and Cardinals playing on Monday night I’ll get a chance to re-evaluate Arizona. And in a matter related to Zona having the best record in the league, a lot has to do with QB Kyler Murray and his league-leading 110.2 in QB rating. All of which makes it obvious the former first-round pick of the Oakland A’s made the right call choosing the NFL over MLB.

Murray is not the only former first overall pick who’s thriving in 2021. Joe Burrow is having a nice year too. With the Bengals in the playoff hunt, he’s thrown for 2,835 yards and 22 TD passes to put him on pace for 34 and 4,400. Not a bad second season.

Not so much for the first overall before Murray and Burrow, however, as there are major grumbles all over Cleveland about Baker Mayfield as he comes up for his first big contract. A big decision for the Browns and it will be interesting to see if they punt on Mayfield to start their QB hunt again. I bet they sign him, but for nowhere near the $40 million people were throwing around last summer.

Speaking of big money decisions, Coach B has a big one coming up at the end of the year as it’s no secret JC Jackson will get a boatload after another great season. The options: if it gets too expensive let him walk, extend him for big money (which he should have done last winter) or franchise him for north of $17 million per. One side of history says after seeing Ty Law, the still bitter Asante Samuel, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore walk out that door Coach B will let JC do that as well. But my history says he should not let that happen, because the Pats went 10 years without winning the SB from when Law left after 2004 to when Revis arrived in 2014. They’ve also never won it without a top-flight CB in the secondary — Law (2001, ’03, ’04), Revis (2014), Butler (2016) and Gilmore (2018). In other words, Bill, don’t screw this up. 

The latest evidence is in for just how idiotic stat geek analysis is. It comes from Pro Football Focus, which gave Mac Jones his worst graded game so far after the 36-13 win over Tennessee when all he did was complete 73 percent of his passes while throwing for a career-best 310 yards, two TD passes and no interceptions. The 122.3 QB rating was, oh by the way, the best in the entire NFL for Week 12.  Guess they didn’t see the New Orleans or L.A. Chargers games when the QB ratings were 70.8 and 55.2 respectively. You have to see the marking categories, but suffice it to say they are nitpicking nonsense.  

The most remarkable Patriots stat of the season has been them going into the Buffalo game with the largest (+186) point differential in the entire NFL. Who saw that coming with a rookie QB?

Patrick Mahomes just does not look fast or especially athletic to me, but when he runs out of the pocket he still somehow always seems to get to the sticks for a first down or just squeezes into the corner of the end zone as he did on his 12-yard scramble for the first TD in KC’s Sunday night win vs. Denver.

While Cooper Kupp sounds more like a sporting goods company specializing in protective equipment for baseball catchers, he actually is the Rams wideout who’s having a hellacious season. He’s on pace for 142 catches and 1,929 receiving yards, which has him in range of the all-time record in both categories of 149 and 1,964.   

I must admit I had barely ever heard of Colts RB Jonathan Taylor until I saw him gash the Bills for 185 rushing yards and five TD’s as Indy carved them up in their 41-15 Week 11 demolition of Buffalo. He’s worth the price of admission.  

But, with him on a collision course with the Patriots defense on Saturday night — be careful what you wish for.   

 If you are a football fan you know how the argument goes. Who was more responsible for the Patriots dynasty, Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? “Who’s better than whom” arguments are part of the fun of sports. You know how they go. In Indy, Peyton is better than Tom, while we correctly say, sorry, it’s Tom. But the truth is I’ve yet to see anyone frame the “Brady or Belichick” debate correctly. Many already say it’s Brady because he won the SB in Year 1 away. But there is more to this than just a one-year hot take.

Here’s how I frame the debate.

It’s Always the Player: That’s the way the adage correctly goes because coaches can only do so much, even in football, where they have the biggest impact. Here are three notable examples.

Paul Brown and Otto Graham This coach-QB duo went to 10 straight title games between 1946 and 1955 with the Cleveland Browns (winning seven times). But after Otto retired in 1955 the innovative Brown never even went to a title game again before retiring in 1975.

George Seifert He had the best winning percentage in NFL history after succeeding Bill Walsh while winning two SB’s in San Francisco with Joe Montana and Steve Young. But after leaving them behind he was 16-32 in Carolina before being fired.  

2011 Colts When Indy lost Peyton Manning for the entire 2011 season after neck surgery they lost their first 14 games of the year and finished 2-14.

But when the same thing happened to the Pats when Brady went down in the first quarter of Game 1 in 2008, they still won 11 games because they had Coach B wearing the headset instead of Jim Caldwell. Point goes to Coach B.

Which raises the point I dislike about this debate. It’s how disrespectful it is to all the guys Brady won his rings with because it makes it seem like he won them on his own. While he was the catalyst, if there are no blockers, there’s no Brady. No receivers, no Brady. No defense, especially for the SB wins in 2001, 2003, 2004, no Brady. No Adam V., noooooo Brady legend.  

That means it was a collaboration between a coach and QB who clearly helped each other turn out better than they likely would have been alone. Here are three examples for each.

What Brady Did For Coach B:(1) incredible clutch play, (2) extreme durability that let Coach B have his starter in every game but 2008 and the bogus four-game 2016 suspension, and (3) TB regularly took below-market contracts to allow GM Belichick to have more money to spend on the entire roster.   

What Coach B Did for Brady: (1) He kept Brady as his fourth QB when he saw something special in the not-NFL-ready TB; that hasn’t been done before or since. If he cut him who knows what would have happened — taxi squad, NFL Europe or pickup by another team not coached by Belichick, (2) The short drop and accurate, quick-release pass system played to his strengths and cut down on the big hits people like Manning regularly absorbed, and (3) Superior strategic thinking, game planning and ability to adapt for in-game adjustments made Brady better.    

Finally, it’s not a 20-year argument. The dynasty should really be broken into at least two parts with each having a different impact in each one:

2001-2006: Brady did not become a dominant passing force until 2007. The first three SB wins were built around exceptional defense while the O was built on the power running of Antowain Smith. Plus Brady had little to do with the two biggest non-SB playoff wins, when D intercepted Manning four times (three by Ty Law) as Adam V kicked five FG’s in the 24-14 win in ’03 over Indy and the D held Manning down in the 20-3 win the next year. So the D and Coach B earned the largest share of the credit for the first three titles.

2007–2019: The O took the lead for good in ’07 after BB realized they were going to have to outscore the Colts to beat them going forward. So in came Wes Welker and Randy Moss and away the O went to a record-breaking season. Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman arrived soon after, as the offense led the way to SB-winning seasons in ’14, ’16 and ’18. So Brady was the leader of the last three.   

The final part of the debate is that it was decided in one year, which is bogus because:

Last year wasn’t apples and apples: The national media make it seem like TB transformed a 2-14 team into a Super Bowl winner. He did not. The Bucs were a 7-9 team that had just thrown for 5,000 yards with a QB who threw 30 interceptions, four being pick-sixes in the final five minutes of losses that provided the margin of victory. Brady wouldn’t do that if he played lefty. Take just those four plays away and they’re 11-5, which is what they were with Brady. So he really was the final piece for a team ready to win. Meanwhile the Patriots lost their best player with no cap room to replace him. So who would you expect to be better in that year? 

Which brings us to the present, where the Pats sit atop AFC East at 8-4 with the heir apparent at QB having a better first season than Brady did in 2001. Plus with Big Mac on a rookie contract the coach/GM has about $20 million more to spend for five years than he’d have with Brady at QB. So it’s now a fair fight, where the final verdict can’t really be rendered until both are retired.

Though given Brady’s amazing longevity that’s probably 10 or 20 years off.

This issue is dated for Thanksgiving Day, so a great day to all as you watch football before and after we’ve stuffed our faces. But that’s not all that’s going on in sports, so here are a few more morsels to nibble on before you take that nap on the couch during halftime.

Here are my nominations for the next inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Legends category: Jim Kaat and Joe Torre. For Kaat, if Bert Blyleven is in, Kaat should be. BB was 285-258 lifetime with a 3.13 ERA and one 20-win season to Kaat’s 284-233 mark with a 3.45 ERA and three 20-win seasons, with a high of 25 in 1965. He also won 16 straight gold gloves. For Torre, if Craig Biggio is in, Torre should be. He doesn’t have 3,000 hits, but he exceeds CB in 100-RBI seasons (6-0), All-Star games (9-7), MVP’s (1-0) and batting titles (1-0) both in 1971, when he had 230 hits. He also was good enough to hit 36 homers in 1966 (CB’s best was 26) and made those All-Star teams playing three different positions (catcher, 1B, 3B) while three-position brother CB (C, 2B and CF) only did it for two.  

Sports 101: Name the only other person besides Torre to make All-Star at three different positions. 

Coach B said after the Carolina game that “not many players in history” could have made the incredible interception Jamie Collins did off Sam Darnold’s fastball when he wasn’t even far enough away to be officially socially distanced in the grocery store. The only other one I’ve seen that compares was Manny Ramirez crazily cutting off that Johnny Damon throw from 10 feet away that made Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo giggle uncontrollably every time they saw a replay.   

If you want to see just how hypocritical and phony most fan outrage is, watch how fast fans in the Bronx go all in on Carlos Correa if the Yankees sign him to be their shortstop after booing him unmercifully since his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal. These are the same Yankee fans who gave a pass to the serially cheating A-Rod after he was caught in a series of steroid lies.   

Besides Nomar Garciaparra it’s hard to think of anyone who let contractual stupidity lead to the downfall from career high points to absolute irrelevance at the end as Le’Veon Bell did. For Nomar it was his contentious 2004 negotiation that led him to be dumped at the trade deadline, which catapulted the Sox to win their first title in 87 years. He also left behind a fan base that adored him and the ballpark that made him seem even better than he was. The latter likely derailed his path to the Hall of Fame, which once seemed to be a lock for him. Instead he ended up as a part-time DH in Oakland and now is basically forgotten at Fenway.   

For Bell, it’s being released by Baltimore last week after not being able to stick with them even after they lost their three best backs within two days during training camp. Not too long ago he was the best two-way back in football before arrogantly sitting out 2018 rather than take a big offer from Pittsburgh. That led to a disastrous year and two games with the Jets before being released amid complaints about not getting enough touches. Then it was on to KC, where the same thing happened in a nine-game stint, which included being a non-injury DNP in the Super Bowl. Now he’s gone after five games in Baltimore. 

Well, now that I think of it, there’s Odell Beckham Jr., who I’m betting it ends badly for with a third team by year’s end in L.A. 

The extra muscle on Jayson Tatum is not responsible for his shooting slump to start the season. Basketball is a game where you should be leaning forward, which he doesn’t do nearly enough. Instead he’s spending his time isolating on the wing looking to do that stupid fall-away shot he’s so in love with. So, Earth to Coach Udoka: Do your job. Make him stop that, because it’s killing both his shot and ball movement on offense.  

Good God could Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns be any bigger a crybaby than he is? Two weeks later he’s still whining that Mac Jones tried to hurt him following his strip sack in the P’s 24-6 win over Carolina. It’s like 7’4” Ralph Sampson trying to blame 6’0” Jerry Sichting for the fight they got into duringthe 1986 NBA even though he spent the entire Finals swinging his elbows anytime anyone came close to him in the post. Take a look at the tape, big fella. It shows that after Mac’s face plant he didn’t know where the ball was, so he grabbed Burns’ leg to prevent him from recovering the fumble. That’s holding, for which he should have been penalized 10 yards (or lose the ball depending on what the rule is). Burns got hurt when he got to his feet and tried to yank his leg free by twisting it out of his grasp.    

With the Bears now 3-6, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks even smarter now than when she was asked last summer about the Bears’ just announced plans to move from city-owned Soldiers Field in favor of building a new stadium outside city limits in nearby Arlington Heights. She said then that instead of putting their focus on building a new stadium, the Bears should build a winning team and “focus on … being relevant past October.”  

Sports 101 Answer: The only other three-position all-star was Pete Rose (naturally) who made it at second and third and as an outfielder.

In case you haven’t been paying attention: With 27 TD passes already after nine games, Tom Brady was on pace to throw a career-best 51 TD passes.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  

With the general managers meeting being held in California last week, baseball’s hot stove league is off and running. It is by far the most interesting part of the baseball year for me — the team-building phase. It involves teams analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, an avalanche of unfounded trade rumors, the free agent sweepstakes, bargain hunting and some actual big trades.

There’s usually also an ample number of colossally dumb moves, with most being the result of over-spending by desperate teams to eventually handcuff them financially for years to come like the Sox dropping $178 million on Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to placate irritable fans after finishing last in 2014.

But with Sox GM Chaim Bloom having a different mandate from ownership, that doesn’t seem to be the case going forward. At least let’s hope not.

Before they can figure out what they should do, they need to decide their strengths and weaknesses, whom they’re willing to trade if need be and what the financial picture is. The latter is the place to start because, like it or not, it determines every move.

Financial situation: With a payroll north of $190 million they are not “Tampa Bay by the Charles,” as Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy mockingly calls them. He still somehow doesn’t get that what makes an owner a good one is not how much they spend but how they spend it, Exhibit A being those D-Rays, who despite spending $334 million less on payroll have won 34 more games than Boston in the last three seasons, finished ahead of them all three times and won the AL East twice. And if 2020 had been a full 162-game season it would be more like 50 wins and $400 million. I get how people don’t like TB’s style and treating stat geekiness as gospel. But, out of pure necessity, they have figured out how to win cost-effectively. That seems like a process to study, not mock.  

After some financial pruning after Bloom arrived to get under the luxury tax line and put the financial house in order, the Soxappear to havethe flexibility to go after a big free agents if they choose. Though any move must take into account that Xander Bogaerts and Raffy Devers will be up for mega deals after 2022 and 2023 respectively.  

Biggest strengths:(1) Whether they re-sign Kyle Schwarber or not, the batting order from 2-5 is top-notch. (2) Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck give them two young, versatile pitchers to build around, whether it’s in the bullpen or as low-cost starters for the next five years. (3) Position versatility from Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo. (4) With Whitlock, Houck, Chris Sale, Nate Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta they have options on where to go to strengthen the full pitching staff. (5) Team karma under Alex Cora.  

Biggest weaknesses: (1) Infield defense. (2) A mostly awful bullpen, which is bad when your manager routinely pulls starters far too early in games than he should. That’s especially if Houck and Whitlock become starters. (3) A second baseman. (4) A lead-off and it would be nice if he could also play second base.

Biggest question mark:What can/will Sale be going forward? Ace, or fourth-level starter?

Top trade bait:(1) J.D. Martinez. (2) Alex Verdugo. I like him, but I’m not in love with him, so in the right deal — go. (3) Raffy Devers. Given the financial realities of the day, they’ll probably have to decide who gets the giant contract, Bogie or Raffy. I’d take Bogie because his body will age better and eventually be a better big bat defensive option at third. Hope I’m wrong ’cause he could be great, but that’s what I see eventually happening. (4) Depending what happens with Schwarber and Raffy, Bobby Dalbec.

Decision 1 – J.D. Martinez.He opted into his final year at $20 million so they have a DH. Some don’t think that was a good thing, but I do because they now have a good player to put in any deal they want to.

Decision 2 – Whitlock and Tanner. If they stay in the bullpen, it gives them two two-inning pitchers to build around. But even with the value that offers, I’d make them starters because it gives the Sox two low-cost options in the rotation under contractual control for several years. If Pivetta can follow up his decent 2021 season that makes three, to leave a lot of resources to invest in the total makeover needed for the bullpen.
Decision 3 – Big trade vs. big free agent. In lieu of the plan of developing a deep farm system, I lean toward free agent to fill major holes. That lets the farm system rebuild continue without pulling talent out before the plan is done.

Decision 4 – Big hitter. As long as the length of the deal doesn’t go beyond four years (five at the most) I’m fine with re-signing Kyle Schwarber.In addition to his power, I like his position (DH, LF, 1B) versatility. Plus if they sign him Martinez could be traded for relief pitching. Another option is Marcus Semien, who hit 45 homers and knocked in 102 for Toronto and since he plays second base he’d fill two needs. Though I wonder if he can do it again since it was the career year.

Once that’s all done, it’s time to act. Hopefully leading to more Tampa Bay by the Charles moves along the lines of Bloom spending just $10 million for the 51 homers, 159 RBI, a gold glove nomination and a crazy productive post-season delivered by Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe rather than the aforementioned Ramirez/Sandoval $178 million debacle Shaughnessy “commended” when it happened in 2014, and that the baseball economic dinosaur apparently still pines for.

Another week, a few more scandals to report on including in the NHL, with the Phoenix Suns, no real accountability for the Washington Football Team’s workplace abuse scandal and the Aaron Rodgers lies, there’s plenty of ammo for another World’s Gone Mad column. But we’ll keep it to the good, the bad and the ugly from the current or past field of play.  

News Item: Pats Update

(1) The 24-6 win over Carolina on Sunday moved the 5-4 Patriots into a six-team scrum for an AFC wild card playoff spot, as well as drawing them to a half game behind Buffalo for first place in the East. That makes Sunday’s game with the 5-4 Browns like a playoff game, where a win moves them a game ahead of Cleveland in the playoff race and gives them the tie-breaker if they finish with the same record to make it actually worth two wins, like their recent win over the Chargers was as well. (2) Here are two questions regarding pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr. after he was dumped by Cleveland. With Cleveland also a contender, what makes anyone think he’ll behave any better here than in NY or Cleveland? And regarding the Randy Moss comparison, Moss came to a team with a three-time SB winning quarterback, not an impressionable-kid nine games into his rookie year. So do you want a serial malcontent yacking in his ear if things don’t go OBJ’s way? (3) Despite losingtheir QB for good, the Saints passed on signing the unemployed Cam Newton.

News Item:Not So Smart Marcus  

Things have not started great for your Boston Celtics. There have been frustrating close-but-no-cigar losses to New York and Washington, mixed in with awful non-efforts in home court blowouts by Toronto and Chicago. Then after getting blown out by Chicago after leading by 19 in the third quarter, Marcus Smart sounded off correctly (in frustration) that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to share the ball more. But it’s hard to escape the irony of him complaining about people not giving up the ball, when everyone in Celtic Nation wants him to stop taking all his plain stupid threes. Yes I know his buzzer three sent the opener vs. NY to OT, but overall he’s been awful. Best expressed by Tony Massarotti on the Sports Hub when he said of a possible trade involving shooting impaired Ben Simmons and Smart last summer, “I’d rather have a guy who can’t shoot and knows it than a guy who can’t shoot and thinks he can.” Amen to that. Though most would prefer Smart just get a clue about what a bad shot is and gain the restraint not to take them. However, it should be noted that after his complaints the C’s won two straight in Florida before (not so) Smart’s foul on Luka Doncic that gave him five extra seconds to beat them, which he did at the buzzer.   

News Item:The Big Mac Project – Update

While not so great the last two games, Mac Jones is still crushing it in direct competition with the QB’s taken ahead of him in last year’s draft. He leads in every category, including wins. He’s also on pace to throw more for more yards, TD passes and have a better completion percentage than any of the QB’s taken first overall (Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray) the last three years did as rookies and has also thrown for over 500 yards more than Jimmy Garoppolo.  

News Item:RemDawg Passes  

Rarely, if ever, has a team’s broadcaster gotten into the DNA of its fan base quite like the late Jerry Remy did with Red Sox Nation. Vince Scully with the Dodgers comes to mind but not all that many others on Remy’s scale. His death was front page news for three days and rarely has anyone gotten that. Especially beyond awful news like the death of Reggie Lewis. It was mixed with sadness, humor and warmth. Not sure how it all came to be, but for me, it was two things. The silliness to downright giddiness at times during the Don Orsillo era and with the Eck and the insight. I don’t suffer broadcast fools easily. To avoid that you have to tell me something I don’t know or make me think. RemDawg did both. RIP.   

News Item:1980s NHC/SNHU Star Cleveland Woods Passes  

He was the most likable person I ever met and it had nothing to do with how great a player Cleveland Woods was at NHC/SNHU, which included being a two-time Division II All American, the New England Player of the Year his senior season, NHC’s all-time leading scorer and only player to accumulate over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. All of which makes him the first guy on my Mt. Rushmore of NHC/SNHU basketball players.   

But forget the player. The grief and affection expressed on Facebook by so many who knew him following his death last week at 56 tells you the impact he had. Always a smile. I don’t think I ever saw him in a bad mood. Even during all the insanity that went on our practices his first few years playing on North River Road. It obviously is a reflection on all the players given the bond shared by the guys he played with. A snapshot of a great thing sports can create when the right people cross paths at the right time. As one of his coaches then, the bond that developed is what I’m most proud of from his time. He wasn’t the only reason, it was the group as a whole, but he certainly was a major contributor to it all. Sadly, he leaves behind his wife Joliette Hall-Woods, two sons and a daughter.  

Rest in peace big fella.   

The Patriots hit what passes for the 2021 midway point in the new 17-game NFL season with Sunday’s gritty 27-24 win over the San Diego, er L.A. Chargers. After their wild off-season spending spree, that’s not what the optimists or pragmatic folks like myself were expecting. I even said they could start 6-2 if things went their way during what was supposed to be the easiest part of their schedule. But I underestimated how good Dallas and the Saints defense would be — which showed itself in the Pats’ only real dog so far. Well, OK, the Houston game was stinker.    

So amid the ups and downs here’s a midseason report and what to expect moving forward.  

Coach B:He’s faced a ton of pressure from the over-reactionary wolves mostly for how well you-know-who has done in Tampa Bay and their 2-4 start. The most ridiculous came from doofuses on the afternoon crew at Boston’s Sports Hub, who actually wondered out loud whether ”the game had passed him by.” Like integrating 25 new players is no big deal and should happen like that. The last time they had as much turnover was 2001 when, while also breaking in an untested QB, they were 5-5 after their first 10 games before rolling off nine straight wins. Not saying it’ll happen the same this time, just that it takes time. Not that he hasn’t made a mistake or two, the most damaging one being sending Stephon Gilmore away just before getting hit with a rash of injuries in the secondary. He’s also getting hit for being too conservative for not going for it on fourth down. Which worked out perfectly on Sunday, didn’t it, when they got stopped on fourth and 1 at the goal line instead of taking the FG and then falling behind 17-15 late in the fourth quarter. Of course that comes from the same people who killed him for going for it on fourth and 2 vs. the Colts in 2009. If you want to hit him on the GM front, have at it, but even with the mistakes I’m OK with what he’s done overall.  

The Big Mac Project: Amid all the yacking that he’s a dump down artist, his 1,997 yards after are 9th best in the NFL, put him on pace for 4,237 (Brady at 2,830 in 2001) and are more than Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers and all four QB’s taken ahead of him in the 2021 draft.

Best free agent – Matt Judon: With JC Jackson he’s arguably been their best defender who’s shown up in the run game and been the most reliable at pressuring the QB.  

Best surprise – Jakobi Meyers: I wondered if his leading the team in 2020 catches was a function of somebody from a bad bunch had to do that. But with a team-leading 48 catches for 427 yards, not so, as he catches in traffic, takes big hits, is clutch and most importantly is reliable on third down.   

Biggest free agent disappointments: There are a few among the large free agent newcomers, but so far it’s the starting-to-come-around Nelson Agholor, whose target-to-catch ratio is among the worst in the league and who had a few big drops.  

Biggest disappointment – offensive line: Trent Brown has played one play and since he went out right tackle was an absolute disaster until Michael Owenu went back there and Ted Karras went to left guard vs. the Jets. That led to the first time Mac Jones was protected all year and the result was a 54-point explosion.

Below expectation: We’ve been told all off season and in pre-season that Josh Uche was going to be a sack machine. He’s had his moments, but with three sacks, seven solo tackles and a fumble recovery in garbage time vs. the Jets that has not been the case.

Anything good most don’t realize: With all the yards they give up, especially vs. Dallas, it obscures the fact that the Pats are only giving up 20.5 points per game on average, which is 6th best in the league.

Likely second-half improvements: (1) The targets– Free agents Bourne and Hunter Henry seem to be finding their footing to give the QB more reliable options beyond just Meyers. (2) The offense – They’ve scored 110 points in the last three games, which suggests the pieces are coming together.

Biggest trade deadline need: Game breaking wide receiver that Agholor was supposed to be.   

They will make the playoffs if: They need to beat wild card competitors Cleveland and Indy, who are just ahead in the next month, and a split with Buffalo would help too. To do that, (1) the O-line improvement needs to continue, (2) ditto for the defensive front seven, which played very well holding down the explosive Chargers on Sunday, and (3) they need to eliminate theboatload of stupid penalties, like those that brought back 29- and 38-yard (for a TD) runs by Damian Harris on Sunday and other bonehead mistakes that hurt all year.

Bottom line: Without playing close to a complete game until Week 7 vs. the Jets, they still are just three plays away from starting 7-1. You can’t unring the bell off a loss of course, so instead they are just 4-4. But Coach B’s biggest strength has always been that the team improves as the season moves along, which is how to ultimately judge this team in 2021. Because, as I said in the season preview, the biggest x-factor would be not Big Mac but how quickly all the new faces can be turned into a well-functioning team. And with three wins and narrow losses to the Bucs and Cowboys that each turned on one play in their last five games that seems to be happening, making the prospects for the second half seem a lot brighter than they did after that deflating loss to Dallas three weeks ago.

The Celtics kicked off their season last week in an error-filled but very entertaining overtime loss to the Knicks. Even with that disappointment, the bright spot is that it looks like games between the C’s and the Knicks this year will mean something for the first time since the Bird era. The 1970s Havlicek/Cowens vs. Reed/Frazier games were even better, but beggars can’t be choosers. So I’ll take this.

That was followed by an awful loss to Toronto at home, which underscored why I’m totally wait-and-see on the C’s after being really harsh on most of the deals done by Brad Stevens this summer. Not so much for who he got rid of, or got back even, but for taking back less than he could have gotten in each deal. But I’ll admit they have much better depth as a result of his moves after depth being a major weakness a year ago. Thanks partly to their pure luck getting business challenged Dennis Schroder. After a far too placid demeanor in 2020-21, his feisty attitude should give them more of an edge in 2021-22. I also like that they’re building it with complementary players around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown rather than just assembling talent.

Celtics Players to Watch   

Jayson Tatum: I’m harder on him than anyone and want more than just 50-point games. It’s obvious he hit the weight room because he is really cut, which will help him take the next step up as a player. But to be a Top 5 guy who can lead his team to the Promised Land, he needs to become the kind of leader he’s yet to grow into. 

Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith: Are they going to grow into players of value? My money is on Romeo.

We’ll have more on the C’s as the year goes along, but for now here are some other things to keep an eye on.  

Teams to Watch 

Knicks: The NYC media as usual is overrating their own, but they have fight and toughness under Tom Thibodeau, which I like. As for the local connection: I hope Kemba Walker found a home in his hometown, but the C’s needed to move on from him for team fit reasons. I’m also glad Brad didn’t overpay to keep Evan Fournier away from New York, because while he can score as he did on opening night, he’s inconsistent and plays no D, as evidenced by the 46 Jaylon got on him in the opener.

Bucks: I don’t like to use the word “luck” when a team played as hard as the champs did, but I could never shake the feeling they weren’t that good last year, especially with only two reliable bench guys. It’s a testament to what a couple of stars can do in today’s NBA. Don’t see much change besides losing defensive brawler PJ Tucker. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA’s three best players and I don’t underestimate what the man who gives more effort than anyone on every single play means to this team. So they‘re dangerous, but if Al Horford can still play D the Celtics can beat these guys in a playoff series.

Nets: As with every team he’s attached to, they’ll be better without non-vaxxed Kyrie Irving. Because Kevin Durant and James Harden are the best one-two punch in NBA and are surrounded by good role players, and GM Sean Marks is a very smart guy who’ll come out of trading Kyrie with something better.

Miami: On paper Pat Riley’s moves look great, but their fortunes depend on whether (1) the tick down point for newly acquired big-game 35-year-old point guard Kyle Lowry isn’t on the horizon, (2) Tyler Herro stops being Miami Beach big-time boy and gets back to the guy who wrecked the Celtics in the 2019 playoffs, (3) Victor Oladipo can return to his pre-injury self to give them a major bench, and (4) Bam (love that name) Adebayo continues on his path to becoming one of the league’s top big men. 

76ers: Who knows what the impact of the Ben Simmons mess will be? But I do know GM Daryl Morey overplayed his hand in demanding too much for an overpaid crybaby who shrinks from the big moment, That gives him zero trade leverage to get close to equal value in his coming trade. And, sorry, Philly gets no sympathy here, after screwing their fans by losing on purpose for four years to get this joker during the bogus/failed “Trust the Process.” You reap what you sow.    

Hawks: A young up and comer, but not sure they are/were as good as the hot streak that catapulted them into the 2021 playoffs. Trae Young is great, but Tatum is better to make the Celtics better than Atlanta.

Lakers: In their continuing effort to break their tie with Boston for most NBA Championships won at 17, they made big news trading for stat-machine but hard-to-play Russell Westbrook. They also brought in an astonishing nine new players, including GM Lebron James’ buddy Carmelo Anthony and the returning Rajon Rondo (a good move). That’s a lot of adjustments. It won’t work if Westbrook plays point guard, but might if he plays off guard and LBJ runs the O as a point forward. Either way these dudes are work in progress.      

Suns: Bet my autographed Alvan Adams NBA card this team takes a big. I’m too impressed with myself, step back. And not just because Devin Booker is tempting fate by going out with one of the Kardashian clan. Though it is a reason, because their curse on sports people has taken down far bigger players than him.

Golden State: Steph Curry is unbelievable, and getting Klay Thompson back is major. But I don’t see this group getting back to what they were at peak.    

Arguments for Another Day: Chris Bosh in the Hall of Fame? The Top 75 NBA players list. I can assure you I have a lot to say about both in the days ahead.

What a difference 14 days can make. After the Red Sox lost two of three to the lowly Orioles in the second to last series of the year, talk show blowhards and other media types were getting ready to bury them after what they thought would be a final week collapse. Then there was the friend of mine who I call Mr. Sunshine for his, let’s call it dour, outlook on local teams on Facebook the second anything goes wrong, calling them “pathetic” after the Game 1 loss to Tampa Bay. But after taking out Tampa Bay in four there’s a breezy “had it all the way” as they moved into the ALCS.

Sorry, but that kind hypocrisy and abandon ship mentality after one loss makes me absolutely nuts. Especially when it comes from “fans” or those supposedly attuned to make informed media judgments.

I think there should be a standings among the media to see who is most often right and wrong. Most wouldn’t do it because that brings accountability for what they say, even though they expect it from players and coaches. For the record, I had the Sox for 82 wins. So I missed and think they’re playing with house money.  

That’s my take on the week’s biggest story. Here are some more on the other big stories.  

I’m sure they’ll disagree with me in Dodgertown. But seeing arguably the greatest head to head pennant race in baseball history end on a blown check-swing call doesn’t seem right. If the bases were loaded maybe I’d change my mind. But the cardinal rule of sports should be to let the players decide it, not the umps, and certainly not a guy over 100 feet away on a near impossible angle making the call as happened in the NLDS. Isn’t that why instant replay was brought into the game? Joy in L.A. A sports tragedy for SF. Major-league black eye for baseball.  

Baseball 101: Who led the 2021 Red Sox in stolen bases?

Pretty rich hearing Rex Ryan ripping Mac Jones by calling him Danny Wuerffel-like, a reference to the guy who won a national title at Florida in the ’90s because the talent around him was so good they didn’t need much at QB. After buying the bluster early, Rex was treated like a buffoon at the end in NYC. Then after two dismal years in Buffalo, who immediately got better after he got axed, he got demoted to TV. So given that, who’d have thought the two-time failure would be worse at broadcasting than he was at head coaching? 

Speaking of announcers: John Smoltz has beenexcellent during the Red Sox playoff games on FS1/Fox, as was partner Joe Davis in the ALDS. He excels at talking us through situations as they arise, especially on the pitching end. Case in point, not more than five seconds after Smoltz said in Game 1 vs. Houston, “you can’t pitch Jose Altuve up and in because his short arms let him get to those pitches” as a graphic illustrated his hot spot, Tanner Houck did it and Altuve put it into the left field seats. That is great work by a color analyst. A stark contrast to the steady stream of nonsense A-Rod delivered in the wild card game vs. the Yanks.

And Earth to Alex: Listen to what Smoltz said about yanking starters too early as you regularly do. “I get the analytics” but I’m not gonna yank a pitcher who’s clearly in his rhythm for someone I hope will be in his. 

Along a similar vein, my friend Gary Parsons, the displaced Red Sox fan in Michigan, asks regarding the practice of the day, how can you regularly use eight pitchers in a game and expect all of them to get the job done?

So much for the 5-1 start that seemed possible for the Patriots with four of their first six games at home while playing what looked to be the easier part of their schedule. Instead, after Sunday’s loss to Dallas, they’re 2-4 after losing all four of those home games. But while you can’t unring the bell of the losses, they were three or so inches away from end-of-the-game field goals bending the wrong way for them vs. two 5-1 teams and an ill-timed fumble 9 yards away from the winning field goal vs. Miami from being 5-1 themselves. Not exactly sure what it means, good or bad, beyond that it’s a game of inches.

Think it’s just a coincidence Cam Newton magically changed his mind about getting vaccinated? Or is it because he hasn’t had even a nibble from another NFL team since being cut by the Patriots and figures not being vaxxed isn’t helping the cause?

Which brings us to the now benched, un-vaxxed Kyrie Irving. Disagree with Nets GM Sean Marks saying Kyrie“loves playing basketball.” His self-created, me-first distractions that get in the way of playing show he does not. He’s just a guy given the gift of having great “talent” and he’s been fawned over for that from an early age. I think he likes playing basketball, but there are clearly other things important to him. That’s fine and his choice, just don’t be a fraud about it, which he’s been since he was in Cleveland.   

Baseball 101 Answer: While he’s not exactly in Ricky Henderson territory, believe it or not catcher Christian Vasquez was the Sox stolen base leader with eight.

Don’t know how accurate it will be if it actually happens, but I noticed on the map in last week’s Boston Globe showing the effects global warming will have on shorelines around the city it said if we have an average 3 degrees Celsius increase in temperature in Boston, the shoreline will engulf Fenway Park to put it under water. Of course they project that to happen in 200 to 2,000 years so your seats are safe for now.